Marine and Hydrokinetic Maps

This collection of marine and hydrokinetic maps explores our oceans' largely untapped renewable energy resource.

If you have difficulty accessing these maps because of a disability, contact the Geospatial Data Science Team.

Assessments of U.S. Water Power

Resource assessment is pivotal to understanding the ocean's potential for future electricity production.

Nonpowered Dams Assessment: An Assessment of Energy Potential at Non-Powered Dams in the United States

The Nonpowered Dams Assessment, created by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, assesses non-powered dams across the nation to determine their ability to generate electricity. Non-powered dam electric generation potential is estimated at 12.1 GW, a potential equivalent to increasing the size of today's hydropower fleet by 15%.

Wave Resource Assessment

Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource, created by the Electric Power Research Institute, assesses ocean wave energy potential along U.S. coasts. NREL supported the report and data validation. It found that electric generation from waves could amount to more than 1,170 TWh/year, which is almost one-third of the 4,000 TWh of electricity used in the United States each year.

Tidal Streams Resource Assessment

Assessment of the Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United States, created by Georgia Tech, assessed the theoretically available energy in our nation's tidal streams. Tidal electric generation potential was estimated to be approximately 250 TWh/yr.

Mapping and Visual Tools of U.S. Water Power

The Marine and Hydrokinetic Atlas maps the U.S. wave energy resource. Its database allows users to pan, zoom, and filter data of the ocean's energy potential.